A better Philippine Air Force in the Cold War to present day

[gillan1220]

Dec 25, 2020 20:31:13 GMT stevep said:

Dec 25, 2020 12:43:17 GMT gillan1220 said:

Probably in normal time. The last air-to-air battle for the Philippines was a long time ago. 70 years in fact. If this sees combat, the more it will be costly. During the Battle of Marawi in 2017, it was estimated that the PAF actually ran out of bombs and had to procure emergency munitions from the US.

Back then in 2012, the US delivered smart bombs to the PAF. These were probably the same used five years later.

  Just to clarify is that flying hours or simply hours per day?  If the latter I'm doubtful that any nation could afford such a cost, although could be wrong.

According to this article from Reuters dated September 10, 2018:

The latest Pentagon selected acquisition report on the program put the cost per flying hour of the F-35 at around $30,000 per flying hour in 2012 dollars, compared to around $25,500 per hour for an older-generation F-16 fighter.

Convert that to Philippine pesos in present day, that costs around 1,203,750.00. If we utilized the 2012 price, that would be 1,026,750. Still an expensive price tag nonetheless.

[TheRomanSlayer]

Cripes. And the economy isn't helping either as well, which makes it difficult for the PAF to maintain its fleet.

[stevep]

Dec 26, 2020 3:09:31 GMT gillan1220 said:

Dec 25, 2020 20:31:13 GMT stevep said:

  Just to clarify is that flying hours or simply hours per day?  If the latter I'm doubtful that any nation could afford such a cost, although could be wrong.

According to this article from Reuters dated September 10, 2018:

The latest Pentagon selected acquisition report on the program put the cost per flying hour of the F-35 at around $30,000 per flying hour in 2012 dollars, compared to around $25,500 per hour for an older-generation F-16 fighter.

Convert that to Philippine pesos in present day, that costs around 1,203,750.00. If we utilized the 2012 price, that would be 1,026,750. Still an expensive price tag nonetheless.

  OK thanks.  Of course a lot of cash could be saved if flying time is cut down but then training - probably of ground as well as air crew - suffers and that can be very dangerous when their actually needed.

[gillan1220]

Found these articles about how the Philippine Air Force became jet-less for a decade.

Philippine Air Force (PAF) Modernization - Fighter Aircraft - Global Security
Philippine fighter jet slams into school - CNN, May 2, 2002. This was during the Balikatan Exercise with the U.S. in the summer of 2002 which resulted in a fatal F-5 crash.
PAF pilot killed in F-5A jet crash - Philstar.com, May 3, 2002.

[TheRomanSlayer]

I take it that the safety of the Philippine Air Force is just as bad as the Russian civilian airlines' safety protocols that are notorious for its bad reputation right?

[gillan1220]

Dec 27, 2020 6:40:53 GMT TheRomanSlayer said:

I take it that the safety of the Philippine Air Force is just as bad as the Russian civilian airlines' safety protocols that are notorious for its bad reputation right?

That or maintenance for these F-5s was crap considering this was 2002. That's 16 years after People Power I and a mere five years from the Asian Financial Crisis so possibly they couldn't keep these F-5s from flying well.

[TheRomanSlayer]

That is understandable, though I wonder if pilot error was also a factor in the F-5 plane crash as well (say the pilot was sleepy and unattentive).

[gillan1220]

Dec 27, 2020 6:45:19 GMT TheRomanSlayer said:

That is understandable, though I wonder if pilot error was also a factor in the F-5 plane crash as well (say the pilot was sleepy and unattentive).

It was said the F-5 exploded midair. The USMC F/A-18 pilots saw it as its ruins crashed into a structure below. As usual, everyone would blame it on being an aging jet.

[TheRomanSlayer]

So basically engine trouble.

[gillan1220]

Dec 27, 2020 19:39:21 GMT TheRomanSlayer said:

So basically engine trouble.

Big chances, yes. The F-5 would have been 37 years old by that time of the accident.

[TheRomanSlayer]

37 years old? That is literally an eternity in aircraft age.

[gillan1220]

Dec 30, 2020 6:23:53 GMT TheRomanSlayer said:

37 years old? That is literally an eternity in aircraft age.

The first batch of F-5s were delivered in 1965.

[TheRomanSlayer]

I see. You know, there could also be an opportunity to at least build an upgraded version of the F-5 before the rise of the F-15.

[gillan1220]

Some have proposed Harriers and Sea Harriers (for the navy) after seeing its performance in The Falklands War. Unfortunately, Harriers are expensive to maintain.

In the 1980s, the PLAAF was looking to purchase the Harrier from Britain and the Dassault Mirage 2000 from France. At this period, the PAF was thinking of getting the A-10. Interesting period of history.

[lordroel]

Jan 7, 2021 16:48:34 GMT gillan1220 said:

Some have proposed Harriers and Sea Harriers (for the navy) after seeing its performance in The Falklands War. Unfortunately, Harriers are expensive to maintain.

In the 1980s, the PLAAF was looking to purchase the Harrier from Britain and the Dassault Mirage 2000 from France. At this period, the PAF was thinking of getting the A-10. Interesting period of history.

Looking at this thread the Philippine Air Force had a big wish list during the Cold War.